User:Cameron11598/sandbox/California Peace Officers' Memorial

Formation of the Memorial
In 1976, a group of California Peace Officers approached California state senator Robert Presley who authored SCR94. The bill was signed into law by California state governor Jerry Brown. This bill authorized the creation of the memorial. The officers who approached senator Presley began raising funds to create the memorial. Eventually these officers settled on the idea of a leather bound book containing the names of California's fallen peace officers, along with two hand crafted swords that would symbolize the spartan warrior and keeper of the peace. For the following ten years the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) Memorial Committee would gather law enforcement families at the State Capitol to rededicate the memorial. in 1985 governor George Deukmejian reached out to senator Presley to sponsor a monument the memorialize peace officers who were lost in the line of duty. As a result a nine member Peace Officers' Commission was established. The commission's inaugural members were eight peace officers and a police widow; Chief Richard Moore, Officer Phil Jordan, Lieutenant George Aliano, Highway patrolman Bob Applegate, Sargent Jim Vogts, Sheriff John Duffy, Deputy Art Brown, Ms. Sammy Hoy, and Senior Officer Gil Coerper. These commissioners appointed retired division chief Al LeBas who severed as governor Deukmejian's law enforcement liaison.

The Monument
On Tuesday, May 13, 1988 .The monument for the California Peace Officer's Memorial depicts three law enforcement officers; a sheriff's deputy from the 1880's, a 1930's highway patrolman, and a 1980's city patrol officer.